Kauai copters’ new claim: “Jurassic Falls” jaunt

Helicopter tours are a popular way to see Kauai’s majestic scenery, the majority of which is inaccessible by road or trail. Most fly over the same circuit of sights, although some are allowed to fly lower to the ground based on their safety records — a real concern on the Garden Island, where changeable weather over remote, rugged areas have contributed to eight fatal accidents over the last 15 years.

But with thousands of safe flights every year, copter companies generally compete with each other over the kind of helicopter, size of windows, quality of headphones, etc., rather than island attractions. One new and notable exception: Island Helicopters’ exclusive landing at the base of Manawaiopuna Falls, nicknamed “Jurassic Falls” for its memorable appearance in “Jurassic Park.” (For the lyrics to a beautiful mele about the falls, whose name means “stream branch of Puna,” click here.)

The area around the Hanapēpē Valley landmark is privately owned (by the Robinsons, the same family who own Ni’ihau), so few visitors have had the chance to inspect the approximately 350-foot-tall cascade so closely. After negotiating with the Robinsons’ for the right to touch down on their property, the helicopter company recently received permission from the county to land on existing access road, which connects to a short, flat trail to the falls. Passengers are expected spend about 25 minutes there during the 90-minute tour, including the other major sights of the island.

Not all people consider helicopter tours to be “eco-friendly,” although that’s how Island Helicopters casts its operations; for a measured view of the pros and cons of copter tours, especially for viewing remote waterfalls, click here.

And during the five-year battle by Island Helicopters to obtain a permit from the county for landing at Manawaiopuna, residents expressed concern that granting it would endanger flora or fauna in the isolated valley, and pllace pressure on other companies to seek landing sites, perhaps in areas closer to their homes or other ecologically fragile locations. One condition of the permit is that tours with landings operate only five days a week (with Sunday being a mandatory day off); Island Helicopters’ two aircraft would each offer five tours a day on working days.

The company’s Web site makes no mention of the new tours yet — living up to reports that it might be weeks or months since the landing’s approval in March before they were actually flown. One thing they won’t be is cheap: Island Helicopters’ existing 50-minute tours cost $266, or $178 if booked directly online.